Draft appliance for railway-vehicles.



narran etarras renna orario.'

WILLIAHE IMCCONVTAY, JR., OF PllTTSBUEtGI-I, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR T0 MGCONWAY da TORLEY GOMFANY, OF'PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENN- SYLVANIA.

DRAFT APPLIANCE FOR RAILWAY-VEHICLES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented duly 2"?, i215..

Application led .Tuly 8, 1914. Serial No. 849,691.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that l, WLLLIAM MCCON- WAY, Jr., acitizen of the United States, residing at Pittsburgh, in thecounty of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania., have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Draft Appliances for Railway-Vehiclejs; and I do hereby declare `the following to be a full, clear, and exact descriptlon of the invei'ition, such as will enable others skilled inl the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

j My invention relates to the construction of car couplers and more especially to those of the type, commonly applied to locomotives and locomotive tenders, in which the coupler shank is comparatively short and is pivotally connected to a coupler pocket or bracket member.

lt is the object of my present invention to produce a railway draft appliance of the class indicated in which drooping of the coupler headpdue to the wear of tires, permanent set of springs or the like may be readily compensated for by simple and easily manipulated-means forming a part of the draft appliance itself.

To this end my invention, generally stated, involves the combination of a bracket member having a pocket for the reception of the shank of a coupler and also having laterally disposed recesses which communicate with said pocket, a pivoted coupler whose shank extends into the pocket, and a yoke engaging the lower side of the coupler in advance of the bracket member to thus support the coupler, said yoke being adapted to enter the laterally disposed recesses of the bracket member and being also capable of assembly in a plurality of positions with respect to the bracket member, to thereby vertically adjustrthe height of the coupler.

ln the drawings illustrating my invention, the scope whereof is defined bythe appended claims, Figure 1 is a plan view of a tender coupler embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a view showing the bracket member in horizontal section and the adjusting yoke and coupler in plan; Fig. 3 is a View in which the bracket member, adjusting yoke and the shank of the coupler are shown in vertical section, while the coupler head and the pivot pin are shown in elevation; Fig. 4 is a view, partly in front elevation and partly in vertical section, showing the relative positions of the parts of the device when the coupler is in its lowest position, the bracket member and adjusting yoke being shown in elevation and the shank of the coupler being in section; and Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of the adjusting yoke.

In the drawings, l indicates a bracket member or coupler pocket which is adapted to be secured to an appropriate part of the locomotive, tender or other railway vehicle 4to which it is to be applied. The bracket member l is fashioned withan outwardly flaring pocket 2 which is adapted to receive and permit a lateral swinging movement of the shank of the coupler, the vertical height of the pocket being somewhat greater t ,1n the height of the coupler shank in order to permit the latter to be adjusted vertically within-the pocket. Near the mouth of the pocket 2 are laterally disposed recesses 3 which, as shown, are preferably arranged in pairs, the recesses of each pair being separated. from each other by a horizontally eX- tending seat 4.

The coupler 5, which is connected to the bracket member l by means of a pivot pin 6, is preferably provided with a bifurcated or slotted shank the upper branch 7 whereof may be advantageously formed at its rear end with a segmental lug or projection 8. This projection 8 is adapted to enter and be movable in either of the corresponding arcuate channels 9 at the base of the pocket 2 of the bracket member l, such a construction serving to prevent upward movement of the rear end of the coupler shank when the coupler is in service and thus assisting in preventing drooping of the coupler head.

The vertical adjustment of the coupler with relation to the bracket member 1 is effected by means of a yoke 10 which is preferably so formed as to also furnish a support for the coupler 5 beyond the forward end of the bracket member. This yoke 10, if desired, may be of bowed or angular form, is fashioned with a laterally extending horizontal shelf ll that is adapted to engage the underside of the coupler 5 in advance of the lower wallk of the pocket portion of the bracket member l, to thus furnish a support for the coupler at a considerable distance in advance of the pivot pin 6. Adjacent to the ends of the supporting shelf 11 are corresponding vertically extending members or bars 12 which serve as a means ysol l separate fronr said connecting device and` bemg capable of assembly isn a plurality of tions with respect to said bracket mem-- of uniting the shelf 11 with a corresponding parallel shelf 13. The end portions of the shelf i3 are adapted to enter the correspondling laterally disposed recesses 3 of the bracket member 1, while the central portion of the shelf 13' extends through the slot in the shank of the coupler. The lower member or branch of the bifurcated coupler shank passes between the shelves 11 and 12 of the adjusting yoke and is adapted to swing or oscillate laterally between the vertically extending lateral members 12.

In assembling the device the yoke 10 may be threaded on the shank of the coupler, the upper bar or shelf 13 of said yoke being inserted in the slot between the upper and lower arms of the shank. The yoke 10 and the coupler shank may be then simultaneously inserted into the pocket 2 of the bracket member l1 and be secured in position by means of the pivot pin 6. When the ends of the upper sheln 13 of the yoke 10 are in the lowerl pair of laterally disposed recesses 3 the coupler 5 is in its lowest position. By assembling the parts so that the'ends of the shelt` 13 enter the upper pairof recesses 3 and bear upon the tops of the seats 4, thev coupler'i may be maintained in a higher osition of adjustment with respect to the racket member 1.

claim: j

1. ln a draft appliance for railway vehicles, the combination with a bracket member having a pocket therein, of a coupler having a shank which is adapted to extend into said pocket, means for connecting said coupler shank to said bracket member, and means separate from said connecting means .for adjusting the vertical height of said coupler with respect to said bracket member, said adjusting means involving a de vice provided with a shelf which is adapted to supportingly engage the lower side of said coupler beyond said bracket member and said adjusting means also including means for limiting upward vertical movement of said coupler with respect to said' bracket member. j

2. In a draft appliance for ,railway vehicles, the combination with a bracket member having a pocket for the reception of the shank of a coupler and also having laterally disposed recesses communicating with said pocket, of a coupler having a shank extending into said pocket, a device for ivotally connecting said coupler shank am? bracket member, and means en agili the lower side of said coupler beyond sai bracket memborfor supporting said coupler, said means also enteringthesaid laterally disposed recesses of said bracket member 'and being ber.

3. In -a draft appliance for railway vehicles, the combination with a bracket member having a pocket for the reception of a coupler shank, of a coupler having a shank extending into said pocket and capable of a swinging movement therein, and means engaging the lower side of said coupler beyond said bracket for supporting said cou pler, said means involving a device which is provided with a shelf extending beneath said coupler and which is adapted to engage said bracket member above the floor of the coupler shank receiving pocket therein, and a portion of the shank of said coupler projecting rearwardly through said supporting means.

Ll. In a draft appliance for railway vehicles, the combination with a bracket member having a pocket for the reception of a coupler shank, of a coupler having a slotted shank extending into said pocket, a pivot pin for connecting said bracket member and1 coupler shank, means located rearwardly of said pivot pin and above the slot insaid coupler shank for preventing upward movement of said shank with respect to said bracket member, and means extending into the slot of said coupler shankv and located forwardly of said pivot pin and having a portion below the slot in said coupler shank for preventing 'downward movement of said ouplerl with respect to said .bracket mem- 5. In a draft appliance for railway vehicles, the combination with a bracket member having a pocket therein, of a coupler having a shank which extends into said pocket, means forconnecting said bracket member and coupler shank, and' a device for supporting said coupler in a plurality of positions of vertical adjustment, said device involving a member which is formed with a plurality of shelves which lie in parallel planes, one of said shelves extending forwardly beyond the other.

6. In a draft appliance for railway vehi- -cles, the combination with a bracket member, ofza coupler having a slotted shank, means for connecting said coupler to said bracket member, and means for supporting said coupler ,in a plurality of positions of vertical adjustment with respect to said bracket membeig'said supporting means involving a yoke having a portion which extends into the slot of said coupler shank and also having a portion which extends under said coupler shank.

7 In a draft appliance for railway vehcles, the combination with a bracket member having a pocket for the reception of a shank extending into said pocket, means for pivotally connecting said coupler shank and bracket member, and a yoke having a shelf which supportingly engages the lower the shank of a coupler, of a coupler having,

- vance of. another. l

ananas side of said coupler shank beyond said bracket member, said yoke being also providedwith vertically 'extending laterally disposed members and being capableY of assembly/in a plurality of positions with necting said bracket member 'and coupler,

and a yoke for'supporting said coupler in a plurality of positions-of vertical adjustment f With respect 'tov said bracket` member,said y15' ally extending. shelves which are indifferi yoke having a plurality of connected laterent planes and one of which extends in ad- 9. In a draftappliance for-railway vehicles, the combination-With a bracket niember :having a pocket for the reception ofthe shank of.l a coupler. and `also having later-l ally disposed recesses communicating with said pocket, of a coupler having a slotted shankfwhichextends .into said pocket, a pivot pin connecting said coupler and bracket member, and a yoke .which is adapted to extend into said laterally disposed recesses and to engage said coupler, said yoke Ahaving a Aplurality of parallel shelves one of which extendsforwardly beyond the said bracket member and one of which extends through the slot of said coupler shank,

10. A coupler supporting member for cou.-

plers of the engine and tender type, said' 'member involving connected' parallel shelves 'which are in spaced relation and one of whichl extends in advance of another.

In' testimony whereof I alix ymysignature,` in the-presence of two. subscribing witnesses. a WILLIAM MCONWAY, JR.

Witnesses: t J'Aiims-MILLEIQJI.,v 

